that develops and sells carbon offsets to fund forest and wetland conservation around the world. We believe that innovative approaches that place a value on nature and provide incentives for conservation are critical to addressing climate change, improving the availability and quality of freshwater, protecting biodiversity, and alleviating poverty.​

We have worked with our clients on more than 30 projects around the world that have protected and restored more than 5 million acres of forests and wetlands and have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 20 million tons.

Our History

TerraCarbon was formed in 2006 by Scott Settelmyer, former CFO of the Chicago Climate Exchange, and Dr. Bernhard Schlamadinger, one of the world’s leading forest carbon experts. Scott and Bernhard recognized the massive potential of forests and wetlands to reduce greenhouse gases, and believed that results-based, carbon market incentives could unlock this potential. They also recognized the complexities of emerging carbon markets and the need for specialized expertise to help conservation projects gain access to this new source of funding.

Our Model

We operate under a traditional fee for service consulting model, and do not take equity ownership or credit ownership in the projects that we advise. This model puts us on the same side of the table as our clients and allows us to provide unbiased advice.

This means we have been certified by the non-profit B Lab for meeting rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. As a Certified B Corp, and unlike traditional corporations, we’re legally required to consider the impact of our decisions on our employees, suppliers, community, consumers, and environment.

We at TerraCarbon

became a Certified B Corp in 2012 to demonstrate that our business has a higher purpose than simply profit, and that is contributing to the protection of the world’s forests for the benefit of the world’s climate, wildlife, and people.​

Scott develops carbon finance and offset marketing strategies to fund forest and wetland conservation. He is the co-founder of TerraCarbon and an expert in carbon finance, with more than 12 years of carbon market experience and 20 years of financial market experience. Scott is the former CFO of the Chicago Climate Exchange and Treasurer of ALLTEL Corporation.

David Shoch

Director, Forestry and Technical Services

David designs and monitors forest and wetland carbon offset projects. He has more than 20 years experience, working on dozens of forest carbon projects around the world and co-authoring several carbon project methodologies. Prior to joining TerraCarbon, David worked for The Nature Conservancy and Winrock International. He is a member of the Forest Stewards Guild, a Certified Forester by SAF and holds a Master of Forestry degree from Duke University.

Rebecca Dickson

Senior Manager, Remote Sensing and Spatial Modeling

Becky maps forest and ecosystem resources, analyzes past land use trends, and models future land use change. She has a PhD in Geography from Clark University and is an expert in geographic information systems, remote sensing analysis, land-cover classification and change analysis, and spatial modeling.

Erin Swails

Manager, Forestry and Technical Services

Erin designs and monitors forest and wetland carbon offset projects. For the past 8 years, Erin has been supporting carbon project development and greenhouse gas research in forests and wetlands, including extensive research in tropical peatlands. She previously worked in the Ecosystem Services Unit at Winrock International and for the United States Peace Corps in Bolivia. Erin is currently completing her PhD in Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia and holds a Master of Forestry degree from University of Wales.

Science

The markets for ecosystems services are credible only if they are supported by sound science. We hire and partner with experts in the fields of conservation, forestry, forest ecology, and remote sensing sciences.​

Trust

The trust of our clients and partners is critical to building a successful collaboration. We build trust by being transparent and consistently delivering on our commitments.

Collaboration

Effective projects requires the collaboration of various stakeholders. We collaborate by listening to our clients and building project teams that include client staff and local people.

Capacity Building

The sustained success of carbon project activities depends on building strong local capacities. We freely share knowledge and train local people to build these capacities.